The Governor today signed several human trafficking bills that passed unanimously in both the Florida House and Senate, including SB 1690, which holds hotels more accountable for violating human trafficking policies and laws. Senate Democratic Leader Lauren Book (D-Davie) shared the following statement:
“I am proud of our bipartisan work to combat the horrific realities of human trafficking, a crime which takes place hidden in plain sight in every single community across the state.
With the help of Senators Ingoglia and Garcia, we have now closed loopholes in Florida law that have allowed hotels, motels, and other lodging establishments to avoid paying fines for noncompliance with signage and training requirements designed to help combat this horrific crime.
Fines collected will now fund services to help survivors through Florida’s human trafficking Direct Support Organization, which I was proud to help create in 2019. We must all do our part, — including and especially lodging business owners, whose establishments are often used as scenes of this crime — to ensure awareness and action.”
